The evolution of Paul Hornschemeier's book cover

When I started talking with Scribner about the @MayorEmanuel book, I had a short list of illustrators that I wanted to work with for the cover. At the very top of that list was Paul Hornschemeier. And it was a major highlight when both Scribner and Paul said yes!

I gave Paul pretty free reign in early discussions, and he came back with a bunch of great ideas that went in all kinds of different directions. The one that would eventually become the cover, started out in a different direction for sure:

I loved the phone, and the action, but the sword didn't make sense. I suggested bringing Quaxelrod into the mix and, for a touch of absurd, a falconer's glove:

Blam. He nailed it right there in the pen sketch. All that was left was fleshing it out, and folding in the type:

Man, I love that cover. Paul's also a comics artist and author on his own right. While you're picking up books, you should pick up his latest too--it's fucking amazing.